Draw punch cutter

ABSTRACT

A draw punch cutter having first and second die members placeable, from one side only, on opposite sides of a panel operative to widen an opening.

United States Patent William Finley Wright Vestal, NY. 13850 Appl. No. 9221 Filed Feb. 6, 1970 Patented July 27, 1971 Division of Ser. No. 709,597. Feb. 27. 1968. Pat. No. 3,500,531.

inventor DRAW PUNCH CUTTER 8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl.

Int. Cl

Field of Search 30/360 B26f 1/02 30/ l 80,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,221 ,904 i 1/1940 Abramson 2,633,197 3/1953 Nischan 3,269,01 i 8/1966 Herrstrum. 3,494,033 2/1970 Bosco Primary Examiner- Robert C. Riordon Assistant Examiner-J. C. Peters Altorney- Ernest F. Marmorek ABSTRACT: A draw punch cutter having first and second die members placeable, from one side only, on opposite sides of a panel operative to widen an opening.

PATENTEB m2? s11 SHEET 1 BF 3 INVENTOR muAM F. wmem,

, ms ATTORNEY.

DRAW PUNCH CUTTER This is a division of application Ser. No. 709,597 filed Feb. 27, 1968, now US. Pat. No. 3,500,53l granted Mar. 17, I970.

The invention relates to the widening of openings, and relates more particularly to a draw punch cutter for such widening.

It is sometimes necessary to remove a device, such as an instrument, from a panel to which access is available only from one side; yet the instrument had been mounted when access had been available from both sides, and extends on the opposite side. The instrument thus cannot be taken out for repair or testing, except upon either the removal of the entire panel or the removal of many other instruments or much other equipment; such removal, however, is not always possible, and at least usually time consuming and expensive.

It is accordingly among the principal objects of the invention to provide a means for removing from a panel and subsequently remounting thereon only a particular device, such as an instrument.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a cutter for use in widening the opening in a wall using access only from one side.

Other objects of the invention will in part be-obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, certain embodiments of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a wall having an opening for the mounting ofa device, such as an instrument;

FIG. 2 is an extended fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and showing a portion of the wall and a template; I

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the instrument mounted in its original rear mounting position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, but showing the instrument subsequently remounted in frontal mounting position with the aid of an adapter plate;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the adapter plate shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a die member in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a die member in accordance with a modification, in contracted position;

FIG. 9 is an extended view in perspective, showing the cutter ofthe modification of FIG. 8, but the die member being shown in expanded position; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the assembled cutter in the expanded position.

In carrying the invention into effect in the embodiments which have been selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and for description in this specification, and referring now particularly to FIGS. 1-3, a device such as an instrument 11 is shown mounted on one side, namely the rear side R of a panel 12. The instrument 11 is mounted on the panel 12, from the front by means of screws 13 that engage nuts 15 and protrude through first holes 14 in the enlarged portion 11 of the instrument 11. The face portion 16 of the instrument protrudes through a face opening 17 of the panel 12.

the panel; but after all the instruments have been installed, ac-

cess thereafter usually is restricted to the front side F of the panel 12.

The instant invention concerns itself with the dismounting of a rear mounted instrument, and the remounting thereof afterwards. Such a dismounting and remounting may be necessary where, for instance, the instrument 11 is found to be in need of repair, or to be tested, or to be replaced.

The instant invention may for example be concerned with converting a rear-mounted instrument to a front mounted instrument; and more particularly, to make such a conversion where access is had only from the front side of the panel 12.

In order to carry out this conversion, several operational steps are required which will be given hereinafter by way of example; and comprises the several steps and relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

As a first operational step, the rear-mounted instrument 11 is first unscrewed, or its screws 13 or other fasteners drilled out of the holes 14. Then a template 18 is placed at the front side F of the panel 12. The template 18 has pins 19 that are adapted to engage the first holes 14 of the panel 12. The template 18 has handles 21 (the template l8 and the handles 21 are shown in FIG. 2, and in dash-double-dot lines in FIG. 1). The template 18 has means, such as the apertures 22, or other suitable conventional means, for instance pins or the like, for permitting the marking of the second holes 23; after they have been marked, the second holes 23 will be drilled or punched by any conventional suitable means. These second holes 23 will ultimately be utilized to remount the instrument 11, as at the time of remounting the parts of the template near the holes 14, and including the holes 14, will have been removed off the panel 12 down to the broken line 17' of FIG. 1. The line 17' indicates (in dash-single-dot-lines in FIG. 1) the contour of the opening after it has been widened, while 17 indicates (in solid line FIG. 1) the contour of the opening before the widenmg.

The instrument 11 is then pushed back from its normal position shown in FIG. 3. Subsequently, there is mounted thereon temporarily a holding and retrieval device, such as a suction cup 24, of conventional construction, that has a handle 26. Once the suction cup 24 has been secured temporarily to the face portion 16 of the instrument 11, it will remain there until the instrument 11 has been removed from behind the panel 12 so that it can be taken away for repair, test or exchange.

Before the instrument 11 can be removed from the rear of the panel 12 to the front thereof it is, however, necessary to widen, for example by cutting, the opening 17 to the widened opening contour 17' in order to clear the path of the instrument 11 through the panel 12. Usually it is not necessary to take any precaution against the dropping of the instrument 11 at the rear of the panel 12, because other instruments are likely to be close by for supporting the instrument 11 when it is pushed rearwardly from the panel 12. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the instrument 11 carries a pressure line or cable 27 which will lend some additional support. Should it be necessary, however, to support the instrument 11 after its screws 13 have been removed, it may always be possible to run a wire or string through the loop of the handle 26 or around the instrument 11 and to support the other end of the wire or string somewhere in front of the panel 12.

The instrument 11 needs to be pushed back far enough from the panel 12 to permit cutting out of the opening 17 to its widened contour 17. This cutting can be done by various means, such as by a cutter using die members for cutting or punching out the part of the panel 12 that extends between the contours l7 and 17'. Removal by die, however, is not the only way to remove that part of the panel 12; instead, that partmay be cut out by a saber saw or by means of a torch, or by any other suitable well-known cutting device, for instance, an ultrasonic cutting device. In order to delineate properly the contour 17' to which the cutting must be carried, the template 18 may be used which has an internal contour that corresponds to the contour 17'. Thus, the contour 17' may be marked, for instance by a scriber, on the panel 12; or the template 18, or a similar template that can be bolted onto or otherwise mounted on the front side F of the panel 12, may serve as a guide for the saber saw or for the torch or other cutting device. Where a saber saw is being used, care should be exercised to prevent that its vibrations cause any damage to any of the other instruments on the panel 12.

After the panel 12 has been cut out to the widened contour 17', an adapter plate 28 (FIGS. 4, will be mounted on the.

instrument 11, with the aid of screws 29 and nuts 31, as best shown in FIG. 4. Thereafter, a threaded clip, or several clips, 32 will be placed around the edge 17.

The adapter plate 28 has inner holes 114 that correspond to the holes 14 and that match the holes of the instrument 1], and outer holes 123 that correspond to the holes 23 of the panel 12. The clip 32 has corresponding holes 223 near the front side F of the panel 12 and, near the rear side R of the panel 12, the clip (or clips) 32 has threaded holes 323 which are aligned with the holes 223.

Bolts 33 are passed from the front in the direction A through the holes123, 223, 23 and the threaded holes 323, thereby completing the remounting as a front mounting of the instrument 11. In this remounted position, the enlarged portion 11' of the instrument 11 is no longer positioned against the rear side R of the panel 12 (HO. 3), but is mounted instead in the widened opening 17' (FIG. 4).

The instant invention provides for a specific cutter for cutting the opening 17 from its original circular contour to the contour 17', as shown in FIG. 1. For this purpose, the instrument 11, after its screws 13 have either been unscrewed or drilled out, is pushed back far enough to permit the parts of the first die member described below, to be inserted through the original instrument face opening 17 from the front side F towards the rear side R ofthe panel 12.

The first die member 34, indicated in FIGS. 6 and 7 comprises a plurality of parts, for instance four parts 36, 37, '38, and 39. Each of these parts is sufficiently small to be passed through the unwidened opening 17. Together the parts 36 39 can be assembled to have the shape of the widened hole 17'. As indicated in FIG. 6, each part is provided with at least one extension, such as a shoulder bolt 41, though one or more parts, like the part 36, may be provided with more than one extension 41. The extensions 41 are so positioned on the respective parts that they are disposed within the contour of the unwidened opening 17, as shown in FIG. 6. In the assembled position, the parts 36-39 are near the rear side R of the panel 12 (see FIG. 7).

In practice, the operator will grasp each of the parts 36--39, in a succession selected and, holding the extensions 41, he will assemble the parts 36-39 from the'front side F of the panel 12 to be positioned on the rear side R. To hold the extensions 41 in their proper position, he will insert screws 50 through the holes 14 in the panel 12 and into corresponding threaded holes 49 that are provided in the parts 36, 37, and 39. They serve to position that die members 34 and 43 of the cutter relative to the opening 17, thereby to determine the subsequent position of the contour 17. He will then slip over the free ends of the extensions 41 a die plate 42, which forms a part of the second die member 43. The extensions 41, as previously mentioned, can be shoulder bolts as shown in FIG. 7, or may be any other suitable conventional extensions. The die plate 42 has apertures 44 that match the positions of the extensions 41 when the parts 36- 39 have been assembled.

The die members 34 and 43 face each other from opposite sides about the panel 12; and the operator will move the die members close to the respective oppositeside surfaces F and R, respectively, of the panel 12.

Thereafter, the operator will mount on the extensions 41 a backing plate or backing pressure plate 46, and secure retaining clips or nuts 47 on the extensions 41, to restrain temporarily the removal of the backing plate 46 off the extensions 41.

Dowels 48 may be provided between some or all of the adjoining parts of the first die member 34, to aid in maintaining temporarily their relative positions in the assembled state.

Various power means may be employed for the cutting, for instance shearing or tightening bolts may be provided for that purpose. For example, a central screw may be provided that is threaded through a threaded hole in the backing pressure plate 46 to push the two die members 34 and 43 together. Alternatively, a hydraulic ram 51 may be placed between the die plate 42 and the backing plate 46 and hydraulic pressure be applied thereto. Hydraulic rams of this type are well known, and comprise a cylinder and piston fed from a hydraulic source, such as a manual pump, air pump or electrically operated pump.

With the aid of ram 51, the cutter will enlarge the panel opening from its contour 17 to its contour 17', to permit the removal ofthe instrument 11 through the panel 12 thereafter.

Instead of manually placing the parts of the first die member 34 individually in succession near the rear side R of the panel 12, I provide in the modification of FIGS. 8-10 a cutter that permits the simultaneous placing of all the parts of the first die member behind the panel 12.

For this purpose I provide a die member 134 that has a plurality of parts, for instance four corner die parts 52. Between the corner parts 52 there are slidingly arranged connecting die bridge parts 53. Compression springs 54 are provided between each two adjoining corner parts 52, tending to push apart the corner parts 52 from the compact position of FIG. 8, in which the die 134 may pass through the unwidened opening 17, to the expanded position shown in FIG. 10 in which the contour of the die member 134 matches that of the widened opening 17.

To accommodate the sliding parts 53, the cornered parts 52 are slotted at 56. Thus, the parts 53 and 52 are in sliding relation relative to each other along two planes at right angles, namely in the directions B and C of FIG. 10.

To limit the sliding apart of the parts 52, limiting means are provided such as grooves 57 that are formed in the connecting parts 53, and setscrews 58 in the corner parts 52. These limiting means confine the extent of the aforementioned sliding. The grooves 57 of the connecting parts 53 do not extend throughout the length of the connecting parts 53; the setscrews 58 slide in the grooves 57; thus the connecting parts 53 cannot fall off the corner parts 52. The connecting parts 53 fit in dovetail fashion into the corner parts 52.

As best shown in FIG. 10, the edge portions 59 at the corner are leading as compared to the edges 61 of the connecting parts 53, and are also leading as compared to the receding edge portions 62 of the corner parts 52. Thus, during the cutting operation, the leading portions 59 will first engage the panel 12 in a cutting facilitating manner.

The operator will first compress the die 134 into the compacted position (FIG. 8) and thus insert the cutting parts 52 and 53 through the opening 17. This compressing may be done manually or with an appropriate tool.

Then the operator will permit the die 134 to expand under the power of the springs 54.

Thereafter, the operator will mount the second die member 143 (FIG. 9). Each corner part 52 has an extension such as a shoulder bolt 141 that extends forwardly through the opening 17, and the second die member 143 has corresponding apertures 144 to receive the bolts 141.

The operator will subsequently mount the backing plate 146 over the bolts 141. Nuts may be mounted on the threaded ends 64 of the bolts 141 to prevent the removal of the backing plate 146 off the bolts 141. A pressure device, for instance the hydraulic ram 51 may be employed between the die member 143 and the backing plate 146 to push the die members 34 and 43 together to enlarge the hole 17 to 17.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A cutter, for use in widening an opening in a wall using access from one side, comprising in combination, a die including a first die member comprising several parts operable to be entered from said one side through said opening before widening and to be placed near the other side of said wall and to be assembled, from said one side, near said other side to complete near said other side the first die member having a contour matching that of the widened opening, and a second die member positioned near said one side and cooperating with said first die member for subjecting the wall between the first and second die members to a cutting operation for widening said opening, and power means intermediate said first and second die members operable for moving said die members towards each other for cutting.

2. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, the contour of said opening before its widening being of one shape, and that of the widened opening being ofa similar shape.

3. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, the contour of said opening before its widening being of one shape, and that of the widened opening being of a different shape.

4. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, each part of said first die member having a contour smaller than that of said opening prior to widening, said parts being operable to be passed through said opening in succession for placement near said other side of said wall extensions between said die members whereby each part may be directed from said one side of said wall to a position near the other side of said wall.

5. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, said power means including extensions secured to said first die member, and means disposed between said extensions and said second member and being operable for driving the die members together.

6. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, the parts of said first die member being operable to be compacted, whereby the overall contour of said first die member will be sufficiently small to pass through said opening before widening; the resilient means urging said parts apart, whereby after passage they will assume an expanded position having'an overall contour corresponding to that of the widened opening; and limit means limiting the expansion of said parts.

7. A cutter, as claimed in claim 6, at least some of said parts of said first die member being expansible relative to each other, said resilient means urging said parts apart for said expanding, said limiting means confining the extent of said expanding movements.

8. A cutter, as claimed in claim 6, said widened opening contour having corner portions, certain of said parts of said first die member defining corner portion cutting edges for cutting said corner portions, other of said parts forming connecting bridges between said certain parts and having cutting edges trailing relative to the corner portion cutting edges. 

1. A cutter, for use in widening an opening in a wall using access from one side, comprising in combination, a die including a first die member comprising several parts operable to be entered from said one side through said opening before widening and to be placed near the other side of said wall and to be assembled, from said one side, near said other side to complete near said other side the first die member having a contour matching that of the widened opening, and a second die member positioned near said one side and cooperating with said first die member for subjecting the wall between the first and second die members to a cutting operation for widening said opening, and power means intermediate said first and second die members operable for moving said die members towards each other for cutting.
 2. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, the contour of said opening before its widening being of one shape, and that of the widened opening being of a similar shape.
 3. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, the contour of said opening before its widening being of one shape, and that of the widened opening being of a different shape.
 4. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, each part of said first die member having a contour smaller than that of said opening prior to widening, said parts being operable to be passed through said opening in succession for placement near said other side of said wall extensions between said die members whereby each part may be directed from said one side of said wall to a position near the other side of said wall.
 5. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, said power means including extensions secured to said first die member, and means disposed between said extensions and said second member and being operable for driving the die members together.
 6. A cutter, as claimed in claim 1, the parts of said first die member being operable to be compacted, whereby the overall contour of said first die member will be sufficiently small to pass through said opening before widening; the resilient means urging said parts apart, whereby after passage they will assume an expanded position having an overall contour corresponding to that of the widened opening; and limit means limiting the expansion of said parts. Pg,20
 7. A cutter, as claimed in claim 6, at least some of said parts of said first die member being expansible relative to each other, said resilient means urging said parts apart for said expanding, said limiting means confining the extent of said expanding movements.
 8. A cutter, as claimed in claim 6, said widened opening contour having corner portions, certain of said parts of said first die member defining corner portion cutting edges for cutting said corner portions, other of said parts forming connecting bridges between said certain parts and having cutting edges trailing relative to the corner portion cutting edges. 